The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska embrace the "seamless garment" doctrine of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin of Chicago, who taught a "consistent ethic of life" that includes opposition not only to abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia but also racism and war on civilians. We are a pro-life organization that values life from natural conception until natural death on all issues, before AND after an individual has been born into the world.

We believe that abortion and euthanasia are never morally acceptable. When endorsing candidates for elective office, we fully embrace the doctrine of proportionalism as stated by the former Arbiter of Doctrinal Orthodoxy for the Vatican, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI):

"A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons. (‘Catholics Given Leeway on Abortion Rights Issue’, The Washington Post, September 8, 2004, Page A06)"

Catholic Democrats of Nebraska will support candidates whose policies promote childbirth and adoption over abortion, including:

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska believe all nations have a right and duty to defend human life and the common good against terrorism, aggression, and similar threats. We respect Catholic teachings that call on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding even more effective ways to prevent conflicts from arising, to resolve them by peaceful means, and to promote post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska believe affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard to human life, a fundamental human right, and an urgent national priority. We support reforming the nation's health care system, which must be rooted in values that respect human dignity, protect human life, and meet the needs of the poor and uninsured. With tens of millions of Americans lacking basic health insurance, we support measures to ensure that decent health care is available to all as a moral imperative. We also support measures to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid as well as measures that extend health care coverage to children, pregnant women, workers, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. We support policies that provide effective compassionate care that reflects our moral values for those suffering from HIV/AIDS and those coping with addictions.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska value all life. Our nation's increasing reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified. Society does not teach that killing is wrong by killing those who kill others. Pope John Paul II has said the penalty of death is "both cruel and unnecessary". We encourage solutions to violent crime that reflect the dignity of the human person, urging our nation to abandon the use of capital punishment. We also urge passage of legislation that would address problems with the judicial system, and restrict and restrain the use of the death penalty through the use of DNA evidence, a guarantee of effective counsel, and efforts to address the issue of racial justice. We also believe that a Catholic ethic of responsibility, rehabilitation, and restoration can become the foundation for the necessary reform of our broken criminal justice system. We acknowledge that Catholic teachings dictate that the taking of human life is justified only when done to protect human life from imminent harm.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support the rights of law-abiding hunters and gun-owners. We support gun safety measures and putting reasonable steps in place to deny criminals and dangerous individuals access to guns.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support stem cell research on existing and adult stem cell lines to find cures for illnesses such as diabetes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. We oppose research that destroys human embryos, and also oppose human cloning under all circumstances.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support the Church teaching on economic justice which insists that economic decisions and institutions be assessed on whether they protect or undermine the dignity of the human person. We support policies that create jobs for all who can work with decent working conditions and adequate pay that reflects a living wage. We reaffirm the Church's traditional support of the right of workers to choose to organize, join a union, bargain collectively, and exercise these rights without reprisal. We support raising the federal minimum wage and indexing the minimum wage to inflation. We oppose efforts to allow employers to avoid paying overtime.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska, in our concern for the poor, advocate the needs of farm workers, whose pay is generally inadequate, whose housing and working conditions are often deplorable, and who are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

Farmers who depend on the land for their livelihood deserve a decent return for their labor. Rural communities deserve help so that they can continue to be a source of strength and support for a way of life that enriches our nation.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska believe marriage is between a man and a woman. We oppose a constitutional amendment that takes away each state's ability to fashion its own laws on the secular institution of marriage. Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support allowing states the right to decide the issue for itself. We support all legally defined couples having equal access of a significant other's benefits.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support equal access and opportunity for all people. We believe that affirmative action policies should shift from specific group preferences to economic empowerment of all disadvantaged citizens. We also support efforts to overcome barriers to equal pay and employment for those facing unjust discrimination. Those in government must be wary of the desire to divide public resources in proportion to ethnic or minority popultaion statistics because such schemes can, over time, devalue an individual's needs and personal merit.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska believe that, in the words of Pope John Paul II, care for the Earth and for the environment is a "moral issue". We support policies that protect the land, water, and the air we share. We support reasonable and effective initiatives for energy conservation and the development of alternate, renewable, and clean-energy resources.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska support the necessary initiatives that provide adequate funding to educate all persons no matter what school they attend--public, private, or religious--or their personal condition. We support pilot programs which, on a limited basis, use public education money to fund private schools (school choice) for children in low income families.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska believe in the Holy Gospel's mandate to love our neighbor and welcome strangers and to care for and stand with immigrants, both documented and undocumented. While affirming the right and responsibility of sovereign nations to control their borders and to ensure the security of their citizens, especially in the wake of September 11, we seek basic protections for our immigrants, including due process rights, access to basic public benefits, and fair naturalization and legalization opportunities. We think it is important to ensure that safe and fair working conditions are being provided to all laboring people regardless of their immigration status. We oppose efforts to stem migration that do not effectively address its root causes and permit the continuation of the political, social, and economic inequities that contribute to it.

The Catholic Democrats of Nebraska are concerned about the income security of low- and average-wage workers and their families when they retire, become disabled, or die. In many cases, women are particularly disadvantaged. Any proposal to change Social Security must provide a decent and reliable income for those workers and their dependants. We support making Social Security solvent, and oppose any effort to privatize, raise the retirement age, or raise the social security tax.